Dec 30, 2019 06:16 PM
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-...-octopuses
EXCERPT: Octopuses, scientists have argued in a May 2019 essay, should never be farmed - not just because of their intelligence, but because of the environmental impacts such farms would create. It's already started. Global demand for octopus as a food is on the rise, which last year saw prices soaring amid poor supply.
The yield of octopuses fished in the wild is variable, which in turn contributes to an unreliable supply - hence attempts to farm octopuses have already commenced. In multiple countries around the world, efforts are underway to produce an octopus farm, including trials of genetic modifications to accelerate cephalopod aquaculture. This, of course, would produce some known environmental impacts, a team of environmental scientists, philosophers and psychiatrists writes in a recent edition of Issues in Science and Technology. Such impacts include nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from animal waste, interbreeding and the spread of disease, and loss of habitat, to name a few.
But the biggest environmental concern is the octopus diet. Like most farmed aquatic creatures, they're carnivores, and need fish protein and oil in their diet. And octopus larvae only eat live food - that has to come from somewhere. "Feeding most farmed aquatic animals puts additional pressure on wild fish and invertebrates for fishmeal," the researchers wrote. "Around one-third of the global fish catch is turned into feed for other animals, roughly half of which goes to aquaculture. Many fishmeal fisheries are subject to overfishing and are declining."
Octopuses need a lot of food - at least three times the weight of the animal over its lifetime - and making sure their needs are met in factory farms would create more, not less pressure on these already declining fisheries. This would likely decrease global food security for humans. But, even if this problem could be solved, keeping octopuses in factory farms would be cruel... (MORE - details)
EXCERPT: Octopuses, scientists have argued in a May 2019 essay, should never be farmed - not just because of their intelligence, but because of the environmental impacts such farms would create. It's already started. Global demand for octopus as a food is on the rise, which last year saw prices soaring amid poor supply.
The yield of octopuses fished in the wild is variable, which in turn contributes to an unreliable supply - hence attempts to farm octopuses have already commenced. In multiple countries around the world, efforts are underway to produce an octopus farm, including trials of genetic modifications to accelerate cephalopod aquaculture. This, of course, would produce some known environmental impacts, a team of environmental scientists, philosophers and psychiatrists writes in a recent edition of Issues in Science and Technology. Such impacts include nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from animal waste, interbreeding and the spread of disease, and loss of habitat, to name a few.
But the biggest environmental concern is the octopus diet. Like most farmed aquatic creatures, they're carnivores, and need fish protein and oil in their diet. And octopus larvae only eat live food - that has to come from somewhere. "Feeding most farmed aquatic animals puts additional pressure on wild fish and invertebrates for fishmeal," the researchers wrote. "Around one-third of the global fish catch is turned into feed for other animals, roughly half of which goes to aquaculture. Many fishmeal fisheries are subject to overfishing and are declining."
Octopuses need a lot of food - at least three times the weight of the animal over its lifetime - and making sure their needs are met in factory farms would create more, not less pressure on these already declining fisheries. This would likely decrease global food security for humans. But, even if this problem could be solved, keeping octopuses in factory farms would be cruel... (MORE - details)
